


Self

by ZARCV



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: AU - a persona-esque world, Gen, some kinda shadow self
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 00:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3670260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZARCV/pseuds/ZARCV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I see the real you.<br/>Even if you don't, I do.</p>
<p>(a shadow self is still a self, after all)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Self

 "I... am the real you." The other Yuuya takes a step towards him, lips stretching into a wide grin.

“No you're not!" Yuuya shouts, lunging forward. "I'm _me!_ "

The other takes another step forward, and another, expression calm, and yet. Smile welcoming and bright, and yet. “I am Sakaki Yuuya now.” He whispers, hands reaching for his face, grip light on Yuuya's chin.

He wrenches his face away, pushing the other away, anger flowing through him. The other Yuuya smiles, and crosses his arms, as if he had proven his point. “We are one and the same.” He says simply. And yet. And yet, and _yet_. He lunges out—Yuuya barely sees him moving—and grabs his arm, lifting it up. A jolt of pain flashes through his arm, and he cries out. “You're just like your father,” The other boy pulls him up sharply, voice dropping in a malicious whisper. “A coward. Just like him.”

He drops him, still glaring down at the boy.

"You're... not me...." Yuuya falls to his knees, shattered goggles doing nothing to hide his face. This creature with his face towers over him, a smile on his face, and he refuses to accept that someone as angry as this person, so rooted in bitterness and hatred, could be him. "You can't be me. You can't! I only w-wanted to make people happy," Yuuya grips the sides of his head, knowing he was only denying himself, and yet. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to accept this part of him. "I-I-I don't want to hurt anyone!"

The other Yuuya's smile twists into a nasty frown, his expression becoming hard and cruel. When he speaks, all traces of Yuuya's own voice is gone. “How much longer must we play this game, other me?” Yuuya flinches when the other him lifts his head, and the tears begins to flow freely down his face. “I'm you...” His hand rested on Yuuya's shoulder, digging in. “Your shadow self,”

Pain blossoms from his shoulder and Yuuya let out a terrified scream, mind reeling. “There's nothing I don't know about you,” The other Yuuya pushes down on the pendant resting on Yuuya's chest, almost unaware of the other's pain. “Do you remember? That day? I wonder...”

Yuuya could barely hear his other self over his own screaming, struggling to make the pain stop—the pressure lightened, but why was he still hurting—and he begins to remember. The memories crash down over him, and all he wants is for them to stop. That day. The tournament.

He remembers the Obelisks. Of course he does, how could he forget—their terrified faces, the screams as he tore them down—and yet. Yuuya remembers the thrill of inflicting pain, but he does not want it to be him.

“That was _you_ ,” He says, mouth feeling dry. He can't see his other self's face now, but he's sure he's scowling at the accusation. Yuuya sees a flash of movement he barely registers, and there was _pain_ , and he finds himself sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily. Peering at the other Yuuya through shattered glass, he smiles. “That was you.”

Yuuya remembers the night he found remnants, and towered over them, knowing that they could never know—and yet—so he has them disappear.

“I am the real you.” The boy repeats, his voice becoming sharp and angry. Yuuya finds himself being thrown around, like a rag doll when the other him reaches for him—stars burst from his vision when his head slams into the ground—but he feels nothing else. “You are dragging this pathetic game out far too long. You hide your real face, you cling to your pitiful life.” The other Yuuya snarls, trapping Yuuya's head under his boots.

Yuuya only smiles in response. His lips become thinner as his smile broadens. “You can't be me,” He barely winces now, when the boot on his face grinds its heel into his goggles. “Because the real Yuuya doesn't want to hurt anyone. You're not me. _I'm_ you.”

And yet—he sees flashes of the field, he's standing over a fallen king, smile on his face.

He sees his other self jolt and jump back, as if burned. The expression on his face was monstrous and wicked—and, were his eyes glowing, Yuuya wonders—the grimace deep. “YOU...!”

“Me,” Yuuya says calmly, propping himself up with one arm. He rises to his feet, brushing himself off—one hand came back coated red—meets the other's gaze.

And he takes a step forward.

This time, the other Yuuya steps back. Presses his back against the wall—he rapidly loses his power with each step Yuuya takes towards him. And yet.

When Yuuya reaches his other self, he does not lash out. He reaches out with one hand, and brushes away a stray strand of hair; leaving a bright, red mark on the face that was his.

The other Yuuya makes a noise of surprise when Yuuya wraps his arms around him and puts their foreheads together. Immediately, the other starts vanishing, becoming less and less, until he wasn't there anymore.

And yet—Yuuya grips his pendant, the smile beginning to drop off his face. An expression of disdain appears on his face, and he starts laughing. At first it's full shock and hurts like hell, but it doesn't stop—dark bursts of relief were flowing through his lips—and Yuuya brings his hand to wipe the painful laugh away from his mouth. Smears it with a bright, red hue.

“Ladies and _gentlemen!_ ” He turns away, the black room falling away around him—the carpet is a bright shade of blue—and a bed appears, and the paneling of the walls, the world becomes brighter.

A boy slams into his side, knocking the wind out of him—his vision's obscured by a neck—and he's crying in relief, rubbing his face into Yuuya's hair. “I didn't lose you too,” The boy's saying, and he suddenly remembers that this boy's name is Yuto, and he breaks out of his shock enough to return the hug—his arms were wrapped around him, Yuuya notes that they're clean.

Yuto pulls them apart, his smile bright—his face warms when he's talking—and sits him down on the bed; Yuuya thinks it's his, but he isn't sure. The boy wipes his tears away—momentarily looking disgusted when he needed to dry his hand—but he holds Yuuya's hand when he's finished.

“I'm really sorry,”

Yuuya fakes a look of confusion, knowing his boyfriend all too well (and how long had it been, five years?) and stopped him before he finished speaking, mumbling _it's okay_ _'s_ and _it's fine, really_ _'s_ , trying to steer the conversation away from himself.

“How about that coffee, I remember _someone_ promising _this_ dork whipped cream _and_ ice cream,” He jokes, bumping his arm into Yuto's, bright smiles on their faces. “Or, or was that a clever ruse in the great,” Yuuya drags the r's, enjoying the look of annoyance on the other's face, “and powerful Yuto's plan to bring down his boyfriend?”

Yuto's laughing, and he really enjoys the sound—and yet.

“Of course I'll get you that coffee, you, uh,” He trails off, not coming up with an insult. His boyfriend doesn't add a word, and simply stands up, telling him to wait while he ran out and bought them coffee.

He only nods, and sits there, hands folded on his knees.

And yet.

**Author's Note:**

> This happened because I'd been discussing Persona with my friends. I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this one-shot in particular, since the concept's a little scattered, but the gist of it _works._


End file.
